The race for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. elections in 2008 never seemed to get to the point of reaching the possible finishing line and with the current situation, it deserves to reach its pinnacle in the National Convention scheduled for August.

Since Super Tuesday in February, Senator Obama had swung to eleven successive victories and had threatened to snap the Clinton campaign altogether but it seems that people of Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island had different ideas. They brought the ailing Hillary Clinton back in the race with such conviction that it forced detractors of the Clinton campaign to concede that this was a fight destined to finish right at the National Convention.

This way or that, history is going to be made and neither of these possible nominees will be losers. Yes, there is going to be only one nominee who will have the right to challenge John McCain in the quest to become the President of United States of America. But then, they will leave a lasting impression on the American people, and also on the world, that truly, unconventional is fashionable.

Being a woman, Hillary Clinton has had to walk the tight rope between being a sensitive chief and portraying sternness about her leadership at the same time, by no means an easy task. What has struck the masses and critics alike, is her resilience and tenacity. Any one with a faint heart would have given up after eleven straight losses but this iron lady has slugged it out against an underdog-turned-favourite with stunning sincerity and heart.

The very fact that she has kept herself steady in this campaign shows her earnestness towards the causes she manifests along with her sincerity to the millions of democrats who have voted and who will vote for her in the series of primaries scheduled in the months leading up to the National Convention.

Yes, mistakes have been made by her in the course of the campaign but then, humans do err. She has opened the door to the women in America who truly aspire to lead from the front. Her campaign has given legitimacy to the vision of a woman leading the world’s most powerful democracy. With due value to what has been written above, credit should be given to her campaign because it has finally made the big men sit up and take notice of the need of a woman leader and give respect to women leaders around the country and the world.

Senator Barack Obama has been breaking new grounds himself. Being black has not stopped him from getting a sound education. His days of education boast of several achievements, one of which is being the editor of Harvard Law Review. His family history is very varied, which gives him a cultural legacy that is diverse and has found favour across a wide demography. Never before in the history of the United States, since the advent of Martin Luther King Jr. and Oprah Winfrey, has a person of colour captured the imagination of the country the way Barack Obama has.

He has given wings to the hopes of millions of blacks across the country to actually lead the country in this millennium, which is an advancement of huge proportions considering that merely sixty years back, they were being lynched and segregated. His biggest achievement by far is the trust that he has won in the states with conservative white population, like New Hampshire, with great conviction.

His leadership has changed the image of the black population which has historically been reactive towards their future and growth as a community in a white country. His proactive campaign towards change in its entirety for the American society has captured the thoughts of the community at large and this has resulted in the profound support that has been extended to him. This has consequently made people respect the black community and other foreign communities that have settled in the country, namely Indians and Hispanics, in terms of their political influence.

In the coming months, one of these spectacular leaders, who are pioneers in their own right, will win the coveted nomination. However, the true winners are the women and the black community because they have become empowered to win and lead by example. In all probability, Democrats will win the election in November because I believe that it will be an uphill task for John McCain to defend the Iraq war to a country whose one-third populations is vehemently opposing it.

The question of a longer campaign creating a rift in the party should not be encouraged as their campaign is generating interests at every level. Considering the very fact that politics is about diverse personalities, this campaign could not get any better with the two diverse candidates going head to head each day with vigour which is ever increasing and conviction which is ceaseless.

Their story is of courage, of conviction and of will which has inspired the world to look at their campaign with increasing interest. May the best candidate win, though my fingers are crossed for Hillary Clinton!